Huo Jiayuan's mind went blank.
Gunshots rang out from the ship, followed by sparks. This reminded Huo Jiayuan of the night she first failed to escape; the ship had exploded, flames shooting into the sky…
"Xiao Rong!"
She yelled and ran in that direction without thinking.
Her bodyguards held her back tightly, reassuring her that Xiao Rong would be alright.
But she cried her eyes out.
"Miss, please calm down..."
"Xiao Rong is still on the ship!"
"Miss……"
"Call the police!"
The bodyguard hurriedly pulled out his phone. Just then, the sounds of fighting grew closer, mixed with the chaotic sound of running. Huo Jiayuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xiao Rong running towards them, covered in blood and barely able to walk.
The moment he saw Huo Jiayuan, he paused, then suddenly turned around and rushed backward!
Huo Jiayuan opened her eyes wide.
Xiao Rong saw herself as the last line of defense between her and the bandits, standing between them... The two men who caught up with her were the same men she had seen at the bathroom door.
They brandished knives and punched and kicked Xiao Rong. Xiao Rong clutched his head tightly and struggled to his feet, but was quickly knocked to the ground again.
"Miss, run!" Another bodyguard rushed over, his head broken and blood congealed on his face. "Brother Rong said you must be safe!"
Huo Jiayuan's vision blurred with tears... For a long time after that day, she needed medication to sleep at night. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could see Xiao Rong, beaten and covered in blood, still desperately yelling at her to leave... Whenever she closed her eyes, she could hear the gunshots from that day, see the bullets piercing the bodies of those two men, see the man lying on the ground, his eyes rolling back, spitting blood, his body convulsing...
...
"Miss, you're having another nightmare."
Huo Jiayuan suddenly opened her eyes, and heard that loving voice in her ear. She moved her body, and the old woman was wiping her palms with warm water. The pity and love in her eyes were like a thick quilt, tightly wrapping her up.
"Grandma Cai." Huo Jiayuan had only managed to barely remember the name these past two days. The trauma she experienced that night had left her with mild PTSD, and she had been feeling weak, drowsy, and experiencing memory loss lately.
Xiao Rong and his two other bodyguards were all men, so it wasn't convenient for them to go in and out of her room. Therefore, they found a local elderly woman named Cai, who lived alone, to take care of her. Cai was an honest and quiet person, very clean, and since she was all alone and had no one to rely on, there was no need to worry that she had any connections with any gangs or forces.
One of the bodyguards recommended Granny Cai. Xiao Rong was seriously injured, and Huo Jiayuan was traumatized; the two of them alone couldn't take good care of them. So he found this old woman.
Xiao Rong initially disagreed, but after having nightmares for three days straight, Huo Jiayuan leaned on Granny Cai's shoulder and slept the most peaceful night she had in days. From then on, Xiao Rong had no choice but to agree to let the old woman stay in the house.
Grandma Cai brought the stewed soup to her and gently blew on it twice.
Drink it while it's hot.
Huo Jiayuan felt like crying again.
But she forced back her tears and drank the soup in large gulps.
"Miss, don't be afraid," Granny Cai said gently with a smile. "Everything can be resolved."
Huo Jiayuan looked up at her.
She knew nothing—no identity of these people, where they came from, where they were going, or what they had done in the past. She was just an old woman working here, yet this woman knew how to comfort her…
"Grandma Cai," Huo Jiayuan said softly after a long silence, "Actually, Xiao Rong's injury is all my fault."
"If you get injured, you can just heal it."
"He was injured because of me."
Who doesn't make mistakes?
"But……"
Huo Jiayuan didn't know what else to say.
It seems that no matter what happens, this old lady can always smile. In her eyes, nothing else matters; taking care of her is the most important thing.
Huo Jiayuan curled up on the bed, hugging her knees. Xiao Rong wasn't just injured because of her, but also because she had killed someone… That night, it was Xiao Rong who shot those two men. He killed one and wounded the other's leg; the man limped away, his leg covered in blood, cursing as he ran…
Huo Jiayuan couldn't remember what the man had said. The police arrived quickly, but during the investigation, they didn't pin the man's death on Xiao Rong. This was because the two men were members of a local gang and had committed numerous crimes; the police wanted to eliminate them as soon as possible.
So in the end, the man died in a gang fight.
However, in Huo Jiayuan's memory, this was the first time Xiao Rong had killed someone.
Xiao Rong has always been gentle to people, but this time, he took a life for her sake.
"Miss, get some rest." Granny Cai smiled. "A good night's sleep will make everything alright."
Huo Jiayuan smiled gently, thinking how wonderful it would be if it were really as she said.
"How is Xiao Rong?"
“He is recovering,” Granny Cai said.
Huo Jiayuan thought for a moment, then walked to the table, took out paper and pen, and wrote down some medicine names.
“These are all herbs, you can find them at the pharmacy. Buy them according to the dosage I wrote down, then boil them into a soup for Xiao Rong to drink.”
Granny Cai's lips twitched slightly when she saw these names. "Miss...you can also prepare medicine?"
"Um."
"These are all for treating sprains and bruises, right?"
Huo Jiayuan was taken aback. "You know about these things too?"
“I don’t understand, but Mr. Xiao is so badly injured, the medicine he’s given must be to treat his physical ailments.” Granny Cai folded the prescription several times and put it in her pocket. “I wonder if this kind of medicine… can treat mental illness?”
"What did you say?"
"It's alright." Grandma Cai smiled at her. The sunlight shone on Grandma Cai's face, which should have been a beautiful and warm scene, but at that moment Huo Jiayuan shivered for no reason.
"Please rest well, Miss. I'll go take care of things now."
Huo Jiayuan was stunned for a moment, then lifted the blanket and got out of bed. The moment her feet touched the ground, she felt dizzy, probably because she had been lying down for too long.
She walked quietly to the balcony—this was the room with the best natural light in the entire apartment. It was originally Xiao Rong's room, but he gave it to her after she arrived.
He's always been like this since he was a child; he'll do anything to make her happy, no matter the cost.
But she couldn't leave again this time. What could be the reason? Why does it seem like everyone is plotting against her ever since she arrived in the border town...?
Huo Jiayuan's thoughts were in turmoil, her temples throbbing. In her dazed state, the image of Xiao Rong covered in blood flashed through her mind again, and this scene, inexplicably, overlapped with the scene of Meng Yan in the boxing ring...
They were all bleeding, covered in wounds, and staring at her with their eyes open.
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